Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali suspended for one ODI

Adelaide, Jan 27 (IANS) Pakistani skipper Azhar Ali has been suspended for one match and fined 40 per cent of his match fee for slow over-rate during the fifth One-Day International (ODI) against Australia here.

Apart from him, the rest of the team have also been fined 20 per cent of their match fee.

The charge against him was brought by on-field umpires Simon Fry and Chettithody Shamshuddin, third umpire Chris Gaffaney and fourth official Sam Nogajski with match referee Jeff Crowe imposing the suspension.

“Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of International Cricket Council (ICC) Match Referees imposed the suspension on Azhar after Pakistan was ruled to be two overs short of its target after time allowances were taken into consideration,” ICC said in an official statement on Friday.

“In accordance with Article 2.5.1 and Appendix 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel, which deals with minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount,” it added.

This was Azhar’s second offence as he had previously been found guilty during an ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on January 31 last year.